Interview of Aftabnews with Nasrollah Nasehpoor

Why the looks are to the other side of the fence?

Aftab: Iranian musical society has broad demands that a part of them is said in this interview by Nasrollah Nasehpoor, the well-known master of Persian vocal music and the head of board of directors of “Iran-House-of-Music”.

These demands can be categorized in musical fields of training, research, job security and music related to ladies. Nasehpoor is the student of the late maestro Abdollah Davami and many have listened to his voice with his work with Mohammad Reza Lotfi, in the famous tasnif (rhythmic form of vocal music) written by Darvish Khan (Ze-man-negaaram). Read the interview:
 

Mister Nasehpoor, according to your view, what factors in the professional life of a musician can give ease of mind and what factors can take it away?

In my opinion, the first factor that can give to a musician ease of mind that the she/he can progress in her/his work is the society’s respect to the musician. Usually in these topics, to be straitened circumstance financially, is considered as one of the factors of the ease of mind, but in my opinion, if the position of the livelihood of an artist is at high level and that enough respect is not dedicated to the artist, then she/he will not have the ease of mind. Art is entirely about love, emotion and pureness and in other words art is the river-bed of mutual respect. When the artist cannot receive the necessary respect from the society, is a broken human-being; a broken individual that has not the job security.

You mean to venerate of an artist is more obligatory than to earn her/his bread?

Yes, because I have seen many artists that they have lived with absolute poverty, to the end of their lives, but they didn’t reproach. And if they reproached, it was because of favoritism and to be forgotten. And this point that they are used as tool will be offended them. When during a year they are not regarded and suddenly because of an advisable case, they are appealed for help, this look to them will make their morale out of order. Perhaps to tolerate such a position cannot be difficult for one or two times, but continuously it will be very difficult and her/his spirit will be annoyed. Of course if artist’s livelihood is at low level, her/his spirit and mind will be disheveled.

Where the roots of these disrespects should be investigated?

I believe when the music production has not demand, artists among each other will experience a restricted space, exactly like a glass-pitcher that tiny fish swim in it and when the fish grow, the place becomes narrow for all of them and then problems rise. When like the other countries, 200 hours of music is demanded, all the artists will not be able to produce them, but when the music restricted from one festival to another one or from this occasion to another one, it is natural that the necessary space for the activity of all musicians will not be existed and the result is that a kind of unsafe competition will be constitute in the society that it will be cause of unpleasant behaviors. This problem will cause the artists of the society to keep their distance and some disrespects also will be leaking out.

What is the role of people here?

According to Aristotle, in a safe system, people should be trained by social and cultural activists. When the definition and application of art is based on the relations and tastes of the politicos, people will not be trained correctly and a kind of anarchy will be raised that this situation has incompatibility with the true and original art.

How the duties of states can be defined?

In my opinion the first duty of a state is to supply a budget that primary affairs of art can be configured. Another duty is that the confidence of artists should be attracted, i.e. the works that they produce, by holding in trust, should be offered to the users. This is a very important issue that when the demand of the addressee is not paid attention, then the present conditions come to existence that most of those who have TV and satellite, are not interested in the governmental TV programs. The state should first answer to this question that why most of the looks are to the other side of the fence! Today the biggest danger is for the music of our country. There is no such an arrangement that our culture and music come from Washington! Whatever it is, it must be nurtured in this land. In the first instance we should publicize our music to our people. Woe is to that culture and art that in its source is forgotten or undervalued, that the natural result is its overthrow.

As a musician in comparison with other possessors of art, what status do you imagine for yourself?

Lonely an artist cannot publicize herself/himself in the society, but these are the people who publicize an artist. An artist cannot determine a status for herself/himself; the status will be determined by people of the society, but if god forbids the knowledge of people is weakened, the merited artists will be isolated and instead of them artists with less level will be substituted that this point will be the biggest knock to the culture, art and music.

Are you content of your musical life?

Music for me is a kind of responsibility and obligation, not an amusement. When you accept something from this angle of view, there is no status for being piqued, tired or if it happens to stop in the middle of the path and this attitude usually belongs to wanting-self-reliance people. In the bad positions, whether before or after the revolution, I have always had my class for Persian vocal music and I have never been tired of teaching. Maybe some colleagues disagree with this opinion that mothers are the first teachers of music. The training basis of a child is configured with mother before going to kindergarten, primary school, high school and university, and according to this base the child will learn science and art. If today I have attained a position in music, I am indebted to my mother. Because of this reason and despite of undesirable and unfavorable situations, I have used a part of my strength for training mothers and sisters that hopefully they will train qualified musicians in future. I am very happy that I can help to the forgotten half of the society, i.e. mothers.

As you mentioned, many of the students of Persian vocal music are ladies. According to this point that female vocalists have some restrictions and therefore there is no equal future for women as men have after the educating from their vocal music trainings, please tell us why they welcome to Persian vocal music this much?

Here I like to explain statistically. Up to present I have had about 4000 students. I have all of their CVs. I mean I know when they have started their trainings, how much they have continued, whether they have finished their courses or not and so on. Many of my students perform on the stages inside or outside of the country and I am very proud of them. And among them the activities of ladies have been very important and I never felt they have been hopeless because of the reasons that you express. Human being is alive with its hopes. I disagree with your words that only for this reason that women cannot imagine a future for their job -- because of the restrictions -- they should be hopeless and disappointed. Vocal is not the mere art of singing. Art itself carries different values. Art gives to human being energy and knowledge. Art teaches altruism to human being. Art makes human being. According to these benefits of art, what are the reasons that women cannot be better than men? At the beginning of the course, some of the students have a negative view to the subject, but after the two or three months I change their mind and give them energy. My last words are that if women cannot be an artist for their society, they can be a good artist/mother for their children.

Apparently you expressed your final words, but I do have a question. Is this acceptable for women themselves that female vocalists have some restrictions for singing, and at last have they absorbed it?

No, repeatedly they ask about the restrictions and at any rate they cannot accept them. The reason is that some of them are really better than men. Among my students, there are some as well as Ghamarolmoluk and someday in the history of music we should substitute them. I hope these artists will know and do their duties based on honesty and purity, loving to the family and the homeland.